Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
1. Welcome to our May Day Dinner. This year, our May Day theme is, “Together, a brighter future for all”. It signifies our united and inclusive labour movement, working hand in hand with our tripartite partners, to improve the lives of all workers and Singaporeans.
2. I am glad that the Government has affirmed their commitment to the cause by introducing the $2.6 billion Progress Package. The package is inclusive, as it contains a variety of benefits for all Singaporeans. Growth Dividends in cash will be given to all Singaporeans. In addition, there is the Workfare Bonus for low-wage workers, assistance for poorer families and CPF top-ups for the elderly.
3. It also symbolises the strength and depth of the NTUC-PAP symbiotic relationship. When the economy was doing badly, NTUC understood the necessity for tough measures to save jobs, and convinced workers to support them. As a result, we provided a sound platform for the economy to bounce back quickly. And today, the PAP Government has shown that it understands the sacrifices made by workers to make this possible, and has in return, provided the Progress Package to recognise the part played by workers and Singaporeans.
4. Today, we celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the NTUC. The last 45 years have been challenging but fruitful for the labour movement. We have come through the labour strife, political instability and communists’ threats in the early days. And now we are playing a key role in shaping the present and future of the local workforce and employment landscape.
5. When the British started pulling out in the late 1960s, the tripartite partners knew that to keep the economy growing, wooing foreign investors was the best solution for a small country like ours. To attract foreign investors, the economic and labour climates had to be conducive for investment. Unions made the decision to endorse the Employment Act even though the clauses would weaken the influence of the unions. The labour movement did this for the greater good of Singapore’s economy and long term benefits of workers.
6. The Modernisation Seminar in 1969 was another significant milestone in the history of the labour movement. It was then that the labour movement came together and endorsed the enlightened approach to opt for co-operation instead of confrontation when dealing with the management. Unions recognised that it would be more productive to work towards win-win outcomes for both companies and workers rather than continuing to adopt old-style, militant trade unionism. Since then, tripartism made great headway at all levels, as each of the partners recognised the need to work together to help Singapore to progress and everyone to prosper.
7. In the 1980s, NTUC restructured the omnibus unions into industry-specific ones and later, house unions. These moves not only brought about better rapport between labour and management, it also enabled both unions and employers to move quickly to devise industry-specific strategies together, in response to the changing business environment. These moves laid the foundation for the decades of industrial harmony that we have enjoyed, and enabled Singapore to prosper.
8. The NTUC also realised as early as 1969 that we need to do more than just bargain for better wages for workers. We could play a key role to stretch the dollar of workers by offering goods and services at reasonable prices. To do this, we decided to set up co-operatives to stabilise the costs of living. Amongst the first co-operatives set up were NTUC Welcome, the predecessor to FairPrice, NTUC Comfort and Income. Riding on the success of these co-operatives, more were set up in the 1980s and 1990s. The new services included pharmaceutical and healthcare services, food and beverage, quality homes for workers, eldercare and even media services.
9. Resorts like NTUC Pasir Ris Resort, Orchid Country Club, NTUC Sentosa Beach Resort and the various Lifestyle Centres were also built. They offer high quality recreational facilities at reasonable prices to our members and workers, something which were only available to the well-off previously.
10. The NTUC has indeed come a long way through the past decades, and pioneered many innovative initiatives and strategies. At all times however, we have stayed true to our basic mission: to look after the interests and well-being of workers.
11. At its very core, the labour movement is about representing workers and advocating for their interests. Through our labour MPs, we have been able to play this role at the very heart of public policy making. In this vein, I am glad that we have two new candidates from the labour movement contesting in the upcoming General Elections - comrades Josephine Teo and Seah Kian Peng. This will help to further strengthen the labour movement and our voice in Parliament. We assure them of our fullest support and wish them all the best.
12. Besides our labour MPs, a key ingredient of our success is how we have had generations of committed, capable and passionate union leaders fighting for our cause. Tonight, we remember the sacrifices and contributions made by our founding fathers over 45 years of the NTUC. We will also be recognising the contributions of many of our current peers. I hope that you will serve as role models and help inspire the next generation of leaders to take up the baton.
Let me now invite the Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam to address us.
Thank you.
